Tigers pair ready to face Les Bleus
YOUNGS AND FORD TO START, WITH GENGE AMONG REPLACEMENTS
LEICESTER Tigers duo Ben Youngs and George Ford will start for England against France tomorrow, with club team-mate Ellis Genge among the replacements, writes Duncan Bech of PA Sport.
Scrum-half Youngs is set to win his 108th cap and fly-half Ford will reach 76 caps in the Guinness Six Nations clash at Twickenham.
Max Malins has been promised a hectic full debut after ousting Elliot Daly for the showdown against Les Bleus.
Daly has been dropped for the first time, having started 30 of the last 34 Tests at full-back, only missing out when injured and for one of the four warm-up games for the 2019 World Cup.
The 28-year-old has paid the price for his poor form in a struggling team that surrendered their title with two rounds to spare.
Although showing greater intent in attack during the 40-24 defeat by Wales, his 50th cap was also notable for several errors including a lapse in concentration that enabled Kieran Hardy to touch down.
In comes his Saracens teammate Malins, who has been torching defences during a successful loan spell at Bristol and after six appearances as a replacement makes his first England start.
Coach Eddie Jones predicts he will face an aerial bombardment against Grand Slam-chasing France.
“Max has really impressed us since he’s been in the squad after starting with us last autumn,” Jones said.
“He’s got a good kick-return game, a good feeling for the game and brings pace on to the ball.
“Particularly playing against a team like France, who are the highest kicking and longest kicking in the world, the full-back is pretty busy and so he will have a big role for us.”
Daly is one of two Lions to have been axed with Jamie George finding himself on the bench for the second time in this Championship, having also been dropped for the round two victory over Italy.
Luke Cowan-Dickie’s powerful carrying caught the eye against the Azzurri and he now has the chance to show he can make a similar impact against tournament favourites France.
The last of three changes to the starting XV that fell at the Principality Stadium sees Charlie Ewels replace Jonny Hill in the second row.
Centre Ollie Lawrence is present on the bench in his first appearance since being dropped after the Calcutta Cup defeat to Scotland, while wing Anthony Watson wins his 50th cap.
“There has been no change to our selection policy, it’s the best 23, but the process we’re going through is that we are a ‘bubble’ for the seven-week tournament.
Usually, players outside the 23 matchday squad would not receive a full match fee of about £17,000.
“Everyone is in it together. It is an easy decision,” Tigers scrum-half Youngs told BBC Sport. transitioning the team,” Jones said. “I’ve never seen a player work so hard as Anthony.
“He had a difficult injury period, went to the World Cup, did exceedingly well for us at the World Cup and then went through another injury period. “He’s come back, he’s close to his best and I think his 50th game will be his best game.” Among England’s aims at Twickenham will be shutting down scrum-half Antoine Dupont, the dynamo at the heart of France’s revival. “Our defence around the ruck has got to be good, it has got to be
“Only 23 get to take the field but that doesn’t mean that only 23 are training hard and doing everything they can to prep the team.
“Everyone is pulling their weight to make this team as good as they can.”
According to a report in The tight,” Jones said. “We’d like Dupont to have a tidy game, do all the simple things well, but not any of the special things.
“If we can keep him in a little box, then it will be a good result for us.”
Powerhouse centre Virimi Vakatawa has been named in France’s starting XV.
Vakatawa, 28, missed the team’s first two wins of the Six Nations with a knee injury sustained on Racing 92 duty.
Elsewhere, Teddy Thomas replaces the injured Gabin Villiere on the wing while Romain Taofifenua comes into the second row in place of Bernard le Roux.
Dylan Cretin is promoted ahead of Anthony Jelonch in the back row while Romain Ntamack is on
Times, Youngs is part of a five-player committee who unanimously voted on the new pay structure.
The newspaper adds that the new deal will mean that each player in the squad will receive about £15,000 per match, regardless of if they play or not.
LE CRUNCH: George Ford in action for England against France in last year’s Six Nations clash in Paris. Below, Ben Youngs the bench. Ntamack is making his return after suffering a fractured jaw in December.
Matthieu Jalibert, who performed well in an under-strength France’s Autumn Nations Cup final defeat against England last year, keeps his place at fly-half, and partners superstar scrumhalf Dupont.
The match will be France’s first since their 15-13 win over Ireland in Dublin on February 14.
An outbreak of Covid-19 in the squad caused their match against Scotland, scheduled for February 28, to be postponed.
England team: 15 Max Malins, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Owen Farrell (c), 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Luke CowanDickie, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Mark Wilson, 7 Tom Curry, 8 Billy Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Ollie Lawrence, 23 Elliot Daly
England’s players agreed to take a year-long 25 per cent pay cut in September in light of the reduction of Rugby Football Union revenue from ticket sales and other matchday activities.
For more sports news, visit: